As soon as we completed the quest, the Forest began repairing itself. Felled trees righted themselves, blood and gore faded to mist, the crater left by Cerus’ ice attack filled with grass and foliage, and the many many Spotted Deer that’d been surrounding us fled into the forest. My Blood Amulet lost its charges, though, but I didn’t mind that.
Despite the forest getting cleaned, none of us were given the same treatment. Blood and clumps of fur still coated my new armor as well as Opix’s, and Cerus may as well have taken a bath in the stuff. She’d tried to remedy that by swapping to the black and yellow overall outfit she’d been wearing when we first met, and while it did provide her a clean set of clothes it didn’t remove the blood from her face and hair.
One of the most interesting things to happen was the After-Action Report, a notification that, according to Opix, went off ten minutes after the end of an enemy encounter. Cerus had been counting down the seconds, and I couldn’t stop myself from joining her enthusiasm. Not only did I have an experience boost active, but I racked up a good amount of kills out there. More than anything, I wanted to hit Level 20 so I could unlock a new Skill. Thankfully, my wait finally ended when we approached the exit of the forest.
After-Action Report
You have completed the Battle Network Quest: Spotted Deer Hunter II! If we were in the prehistoric era, you’d be the talk of the town right now!
You unlocked (1) NEW ACHIEVEMENT! I hope it’s good…
You LEVELED UP! Ooh! Did you get a SKILL?
You now have 2350 Gold! Don’t spend it all in one place.
The GALEROSE ALLIANCE now has 144 BP! You’re almost on the board!
“Save the Achievements for when we get back,” Opix said. “Opening them outdoors is dumb.”
“For what reason?” Cerus complained. “There is no one out here!”
“We’ll be there in a few minutes,” I said. Honestly, I was excited to open mine too. My only reason for not was because my inventory was full, and if I got more items I wouldn’t be able to hold them. I knew I could trust Opix to carry stuff for me like he was carrying all the pelts, but being able to swap between my weapons on the fly was the reason I was able to survive back there. There was also Cerus, but I could just tell that if I let her hold my achievement item I wouldn’t be seeing it again. “We can just focus on the–”
Cerus raised a hand and paused, all traces of humor gone.
“What?” Opix asked, all-business.
“I smell something foul. Deeper in the forest.”
We each exchanged looks with one another before Cerus headed back into the forest we’d just exited. Opix and I trailed behind, and I found myself mentally preparing to cast Essence of Aura at a moment's notice. The deeper we ventured into the forest, the creepier it got. It was almost too quiet, as though the forest itself was watching us. Cerus and Opix had their heads on swivels while I kept an eye on the minimap looking for anything out of the ordinary. Just in case I spotted something, I decided to equip my Cheap Boxing Gloves. They weren’t deadly, but they made me extra nimble.
And that’s when it began.
“Where the fuck are my boxing gloves?” I panicked. “Did one of you take them out of my pack?”
“No, we did not,” Cerus said, still totally humorless.
Opix furrowed his brow. “Cerus, check your inventory to see if anything is missing. I’m gonna–”
“Ew, ew, ew!” A voice shouted from close behind us.
I paled the moment I saw the speaker. She was a little girl, no older than thirteen or fourteen, with green skin and white hair. She was dressed like a rogue, wearing a cropped black tank top with white shorts, brown leather boots, and thick spiky wrappings around her forearms and stomach. She had two swords the size of her torso strapped to her back with a dagger wrapped around her upper thigh.
The thing about her that scared me was the fact that she was drenched in blood from the Spotted Deer we had skinned. Not only that, but my boxing gloves were at her feet alongside Opix’s healing potions, Cerus’ combat knife, and the 7-Star Weapon Dogtooth had gifted me. I scanned the newcomer.
Ysnik Ixchel - Civilized Goblin
3-Star Native
Level 79
Many years ago in the era of the first tyrannical king of Grimhaven, there was a civilian militia formed by former criminals whose goal was to revolt against the king and plant a new, better one. While that group ended up succeeding in their goal, coronating a king who just so happened to become the fifth Overseer of the Ellalara Belt, that leader, and her two staunchest allies, died before they could see their king crowned. Funny how these things play out.
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“Why do you guys have dead animals in your inventories? That’s like, so gross!” The girl, Ysnik, shook. “Ugh, it’s all over my hands!”
Grim: This girl is a 3-Star going on 4-Star. What do you guys wanna do?
Cerus: strength is not the sole indicator of whether one will win or lose a fight
Opix: I agree, but I’d rather avoid fighting if possible. I think it’s fair to say we’re all pretty tired. Besides, we have Battle Points on the line. If we lose, she’ll take all of them from us.
Cerus: and if we win, we will take all of hers
”Why are you guys being quiet? It’s making me feel awkward. Say something! You guys are being really creepy.”
“Hello,” I finally said. I’d spent enough time under my dad’s wing to know how to handle diplomatic meetings. That skill hadn’t exactly helped me against the Isekai Cultists, but hopefully it’d be better now. “How’re you fairing with this whole Battle Network thing?”
Ysnik lit up. “Oh, it’s super fun! I’ve been knocking people out before they can fight me so it’s super fast! I have 136 points right now.”
I feigned a smile. “Is that what you planned on doing to us? Knocking us out for our stuff?”
“You guys never said how much you had out loud, so I decided to see what achievements you got so I could take your loot.” She frowned. “But then you guys were all ‘let’s wait until we get back to the village’ so I decided to just see what you had on you already. Everything in your inventories is super cheap, except for that 7-Star sword! That thing is expensive! I’ll be rich with that!”
“So you’ve been following us?” Opix tried, apprehension clear in his voice.
“I’ve been following you guys since the Felzian one spawned. Do you know how gross it is to watch someone spawn? It looks super gross.” Ysnik pointed at me. “You’re super gross.”
Cerus stepped a bit closer to Ynsik and knelt down to meet her at eye level. When she spoke, her voice was more soothing than it’d ever been, almost maternal. “Look at you. Cute as a button. Someone like you should not stoop to the depths of robbery.”
Ysnik tilted her head and grimaced. “Uh, I checked my System and it said your name is Cerus Rose. Are you for real? Naming yourself after a TV show is pretty cringe.”
Cerus closed her eyes. “Yes, your system named me Cerus Rose because my name is Cerus Rose. I was born Cerus Rose. I was named by my father. I did not name myself.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “Television show?”
Ysnik beamed at the opportunity to educate me on this television show she was talking about. It was called “World of Cerus”, and as she described the show it became evident that it was the Ellalaran equivalent of a Saturday morning cartoon. It was hugely popular in every one of the worlds, which likely meant people assumed Cerus was some sort of super-fan. Cerus insisted that she wasn’t, but Ysnik wasn’t buying it. I had to admit, I felt a bit bad for her. My name was as unique as it got, but for her, it was like being called “Malcolm in the Middle” or “George of the Jungle”. It had to be annoying to hear that everywhere you went.
“I should introduce you to my friend Zel!” Ysnik laughed. “He’d love to meet you!”
“I have an idea,” I began, seeing an opportunity. Cerus was doing her best to look composed, and she was failing miserably. I gestured to her anyway. “We’ll introduce Cerus to your friend if you give us our stuff back. Deal?”
Cerus gave me a dirty look but didn’t say anything in protest.
“Why would I do that? Wouldn’t it just be easier to knock you guys out and take everything?”
“Maybe,” I shrugged, doing my best to settle my nerves. “But then we wouldn’t want to be your friends, and we wouldn't want to meet with yours. What kind of friend knocks their friend out?”
“That’s true, I guess.” Ysnik nodded. She clapped and smiled. “Okay, I have an idea. Let’s fight fair and square! If you guys win, I’ll return your stuff. If I win, I’ll keep everything and I get to keep your Battle Points! Deal?”
The worst thing you could do in a negotiation is let your opponent know you’re screwed. It was important to bluff and lie to remain on an even playing field – at least, that’s what I was taught.
Grim: You guys said that strength wasn’t the only factor in a fight. Are you ready to put that to the test?
Cerus: YES. I WILL PULVERIZE THIS LITTLE SHIT
Cerus: HOW DARE SHE CALL ME CRINGE
Cerus: FUCK HER
Opix: I hope I don’t have to say this, but please don’t kill her. She isn’t a mob, she’s just a kid.
Cerus: I WOULD NEVER KILL HER.
Cerus: THE DEAD CANNOT SUFFER.
I was still terrified. There was no way I could possibly keep up with someone who was damn near a 4-Star. I had to trust that we would find a way out of this and that they’d make sure I survived. This girl could kill me with a single hit, and I was willing to bet she knew that. Through my own nerves, I found a part of me was satisfied. Satisfied by my decision to fight this impossible foe and by the many choices I’d made up to this point. In this quest to become the ideal Grim Hearts, moments like this made me feel like I was on the right track.
“Just one catch, though. No killing, okay?”
“Of course not!” Ysnik said, furiously shaking her head. “I only kill bad guys and mobs! And people that try to kill me, so…”
I smiled. “We aren’t gonna try to kill you, Ysnik. Promise. Let’s get–”
The GALEROSE ALLIANCE has challenged the GRIMHAVEN PROTECTION FORCE to a fight! This battle will not end until one side is either dead or unconscious.
There are 280 Battle Points on the line. To the victor goes the spoils! Escape will be considered a loss. Good luck!
She grabbed my face and slammed it into the dirt before I could finish. Blessedly, I didn’t lose any health, but I could hear the sounds of battle sounding from above me.